WATERLOO – Laurier’s colours may be gold and purple, but the university is about to get a lot greener as it initiates one of the most comprehensive energy management projects among post-secondary institutions in North America, made possible in large part by a $150,000 investment from the President’s Innovation Seed Fund (PISF).

As part of this project, Laurier will capture data on electricity, natural gas and water use by submetering 40 buildings at its Waterloo and Brantford campuses and Kitchener location. All of the information captured by the submeters will flow into a software system by Lucid Design, which will show a public real-time dashboard view of energy consumption in each building: http://buildingdashboard.net//wilfrid/#/wilfrid.

“Our goal was to implement a system that would capture energy data to help us identify conservation initiatives, engage the university community and promote sustainability awareness,” said Ray Robichaud, Director of Business and Facilities.

It is only the second time a Canadian university has implemented the Lucid energy dashboard to capture and communicate energy data. Laurier will also have one of the most comprehensive energy capture programs using the Lucid Software among many North America universities in terms of both the number of submetered buildings and the types of energy consumption being captured by the software. Typically, universities only capture electricity use.

Robichaud said the project would not have been possible at this level without the PISF investment – the largest since the fund was established in 2009. Dan Dawson, a PISF board member, assisted with the project as did Steve Farlow, chair of the fund’s implementation committee.

“This grant is an important investment in energy conservation and ensures a stronger and more sustainable future for Laurier,” said Farlow. “This project also exemplifies the guiding principles of the fund, especially showcasing the culture of innovation at Laurier.”

Claire Bennett, Laurier’s Sustainability Coordinator, will administer the energy dashboard as well as an awareness campaign through a new Sustainability Reps residence program. She plans to host competitions between residences starting this fall.

“The Lucid software is a conservation awareness tool that can be used to help change behaviour,” said Bennett. “These competitions will institutionalize energy management within the student experience.”

Approximately 30 buildings on Laurier’s Waterloo campus have already been submetered, with the goal of completing 40 buildings including several sites at the Brantford campus and Kitchener location by next summer.